Entropy
by TheNightShinobi
Summary: Entropy is a measure of disorder, chaos, released energy. In everything there is a potential to slip off of the precarious cliff we all stand balanced at the edge of and fall off endlessly into the void. All it takes is a little push. OC replaces Jaune, teams scrambled. NOT SELF INSERT. Weekly updates. Rating may go up in the future.
1. Chapter 1

**Greetings comrades, 貓凱西 here, I have had this idea in my head for a while now and only just got the inspiration to get started writing it. The OC Jin Huang (** **金黃** **) or "golden yellow" in Chinese is not a self insert (as I generally dislike reading those), and instead of making a 5 person team I have decided to simply remove Jaune from the story. I had considered using Jaune as the MC, but the semblance idea I had chosen would require me to change too much of his backstory and make him really OOC. ( I don't think Jaune is the type to enjoy physics in a world where math isn't even a required subject). On that note, please forgive my physics, I will try not to overstep my knowledge. Well, enough of my rambling, on with the story!**

 **(Italics are thoughts)**

The tendency of energy to move towards it's lowest possible state. Every second that passes marks a gradual shift in the balance towards the eventual heat death of the universe. Each action we take contributes directly to the end of everything. That is, in layman's terms, the Second Law of Thermodynamics. A depressing concept, but Jin had never liked to think about it that way. He saw this gradual decay into nothingness as something else entirely. "After all, is there not something beautiful in impermanence?" he mused to himself, as he walked slowly towards his destination. Glancing at his watch, Jin saw that it had long since passed eight. Cecil would be worried, but perhaps could be convinced not say anything to his mother. Brushing a strand of hair from his eyes, he increased his pace, deciding to take a short cut through the industrial district.

Jin was interrupted in his thoughts as a group of people came running around the corner,

"Hey kid!" yelled a retreating man as the crowd moved past, "You better get outta' here! A bunch of thugs just shot up the store back there!" Eyes widening, Jin reached for his side, and, finding nothing, cursed his complacency. The first time in weeks he forgets his weapon and this happens.

"Typical…" he murmured, breaking into a sprint. Rounding the corner, Jin saw the store the man had mentioned. A little dust shop, "From Dust to Dawn" had its windows blown open, and a group of men in suits were out front surrounding a small figure in a red coat. Fearing the worst, Jin pushed his legs as hard as he could, but was still a half block away when the men attacked. In a blur of motion, the red cloaked figure pulled a massive scythe from _somewhere,_ and swiftly dispatched the attackers. Surprised, Jin saw a man in a white suit aim some sort of cane at his presumed ally. Stopping to close his eyes, Jin reached out with his aura, feeling the dust inside the cane, and with a little push, his eyes snapped open. The cane promptly exploded, knocking the man across the street, where he landed unceremoniously at the base of a tall ladder.

Reaching the cloaked figure Jin announced his presence "Hey, are you okay?"

Barely glancing in his direction the figure responded "No time, he's getting away!" Looking up, Jin realized that the white suited man was already halfway up the ladder. The reaper disappeared in a cloud of rose petals, reappearing moments later on the roof of the building in hot pursuit of her mark.

"That is so unfair!" grumbled Jin as he began to climb the ladder as fast as he could. Panting, he reached the top of the building to see the white suited man taunting them as he hovered nearby in a bullhead. _"How does a petty thief like him have that kind of tech?"_ wondered Jin as he reached his the red cloaked girl. He felt the dust within the ship, concentrated in the briefcase of stolen crystals the man had somehow held onto. It was so tempting to send the whole ship up in flames, but…

"Can you do it again?" asked his newfound ally "What you did to his gun back there?"

Shaking his head Jin replied, "Theres too much collateral damage if I bring down the ship, there could be civilians down there."

"So your just going to let him get away?" yelled the girl. Gritting his teeth, Jin tried to think of a way he could stop the ship without sending it into the buildings below. Suddenly, the tallest woman Jin had ever seen landed beside them, proceeding to send a wave of purple energy towards the bullhead. The suited man ducked into the ship, only to be replaced by a woman in a red dress who countered the assault with a burst of fire. The blond woman beside him resumed her assault, crafting a huge spear out of solid energy, only to have it blown to bits by her opponent. The spear quickly reformed and plowed into the side of the bullhead, but failed to disable the engines. As the woman in red ducked back inside, the ship flew off into the distance.

"You're a Huntress!" squealed the red cloaked girl to the blond woman "Can I have your autograph?"

Jin had no idea how he'd gotten himself into this situation. The huntress had insisted that he and the scythe girl both go with her to the Vale central police station. He had then been locked in an interrogation room and told to wait. After around fifteen minutes, a grey haired man enter the room with an empty plate. The man was one of these people whose age was hard to discern, he could have been anywhere form thirty to sixty, luckily, Jin knew who this was.

"Professor Ozpin?" he asked, surprised to see such a prominent figure in Vales politics.

"Yes my boy," he said in a grandfatherly tone, "Can you imagine my surprise when Glynda told showed me the footage of young Miss Rose's fight? I would recognize that semblance anywhere, Jin, if I remember correctly?"

Straightening up in his seat, Jin replied quickly, "Yes sir. We met six months ago at the private showcase. It was my privilege."

"Indeed," Ozpin returned "Quite an impressive feat for one your age, to revolutionize our energy production in such a way."

Jin responded in a quieter voice "It's nothing much, anyone born with a similar ability could have done the same. I just have unique resources stemming from my… position."

Seemingly amused at the boy's embarrassment, Ozpin leaned forward with what might have been a smile, continuing "But that has nothing to do with our discussion today. Have you given any thought to your future career?"

Jin readily accepted the change of subject, "I have received several offers from Dr. Polendina, Atlas's top scientist, but I am expected to become a hunter first. General Ironwood has graciously offered me a place at his school in two years, but I fear my mother may have had something to do with that."

"But what do _you_ want to do Mr. Huang?" inquired the headmaster.

Jin paused, looking down, "I really just want to help people, be that as a hunter protecting them, or as a researcher making their lives better. If people like me don't give back to the world who will?"

Apparently pleased with his answer, Ozpin leaned back in his chair and took a moment before speaking again. "I made a similar offer to Miss Rose, so it only seems appropriate that I ask you as well. Do you wish to come to my school, Mr. Huang?"

Jin eyes widened, _"Two years early? But I can't, mother will never accept it."_ Jin slowly steeled himself to respond "I'm flattered Professor, but-"

As if reading his mind, Ozpin interjected with a wink "If it's your family that you worry about, I can always "conscript" you. Under the Vale Defense Act the headmaster can draft those with exceptional semblances into the defense of the Kingdom."

A blossom of hope lighting his eyes, Jin replied resolutely, "Then I shall serve my Kingdom proudly sir."

 **As my first venture into the RWBYverse I am super excited by the prospects of this story. Can anyone guess what Jin's semblance is? It's hinted at pretty heavily and in my opinion is pretty cool, but will have some serious weaknesses. I've got a weapon planned and sketched out that should match the character pretty well, but feel free to send me input for what pairing you folks want ect. ect. I already have a few more chapters written, which I'll post if this gets a positive response, if not I'll probably still finish cause I'm far to involved in the story to stop now unfortunately XD.**

 **再見！**


	2. Chapter 2

**Note: I changed the rating to T to reach more people, as no M rated content has happened yet, I will probably change it back in the future.**

 **One week later, and he's back again. I got some PM's asking who Cecil is, which is answered this chapter, but I will say that I do not intend to make any other OCs main characters other than Jin, I just need to get to beacon where Monty's characters can be introduced without seeming forced~**

 **Note: I changed the rating to T to reach more people, as no M rated content has happened yet, I will probably change it back in the future.**

As Jin left the station he felt as if he had just had a double espresso injected into his bloodstream, but knowing that he was in a precarious position, began to jog home. Luckily, Huang Tower was only a few minutes from the police station. Arriving at the gates, Jin entered the code on his scroll and Cecil's face appeared on the intercom.

"Young master!" Cecil exclaimed, his well groomed handlebar mustache bouncing as he spoke "Come in, come in!" The gates slide open with a creak, allowing Jin access to the imposing building before him. "The mistress has not returned from Vacuo yet, so I imagine we can forget about the time of your arrival, yes?" he finished with a smile.

"Thank you Cecil,"Jin replied, returning the elderly man's smile, "I have some interesting news for you when I arrive." Cecil filled two roles in Jin's life, not only was the retired hunter an excellent butler, but also Jin's private combat instructor. Walking up to the gates of the steel building, a security guard buzzed Jin in from the front desk.

"Evening," said Jin brusquely, brushing past the man who looked at him disapprovingly over his sunglasses. _"Seriously? Sunglasses indoors, at night? What's that guy compensating for?"_ Reaching the elevator, Jin pressed the button for penthouse and waited. He was going to have a lot of explaining to do, but he could count on Cecil to support him. After a full minute had passed the doors opened again, revealing an elegantly furnished apartment. Cecil stood by the door awaiting his arrival, grey hair combed as elegantly as always.

"Lost again?" asked the man.

Seeing the look of amusement in the butler's eyes Jin made to apologize, "I'm sorry to trouble you Cecil, but there's a good reason this time!"

"There's always a good reason with you young master," replied Cecil, walking behind Jin as the pair moved towards the nearby sitting area. "Though I must say it was a little disconcerting to notice that you had neglected to bring Krishna with you. What have I told you about a hunter's weapon? "

Flinching at his tone, Jin replied as he sat down opposite his mentor "A hunter's weapon is an extension of their will, without it they are lost."

Studying his face, Cecil accepted the answer with a short nod. "Now, what is your explanation this time Jin?"

Leaning forward excitedly, Jin began to recount the nights events, "So, at first I was just walking down the street, minding my own business-"

"Cough-Bullshit-Cough," interrupted Cecil "Oh, my apologies young master please continue."

"I was this time! Really!" said Jin, immediately realizing his mistake, "And last time. And the time before that! You know what? I'll just give you the abbreviated version, if you're going to be like that. I got into a fight with a dust thief, then got accepted into Beacon by Professor Ozpin himself!"

"Beacon, huh?" mused the retired hunter "You know your mother will never allow you to go?"

"That's the beauty of it, Ozpin thought of that and offered to "draft" me under the Vale Defense Act!"said Jin, grinning wildly, "I can finally escape!" Realizing how his words could have been interpreted, he quickly amended "Not from you of course Cecil, you know what your teachings mean to me."

Laughing good naturedly the butler replied is a comforting tone, "It is good for these old ears to hear that my work these last fifteen years hasn't gone entirely unappreciated. My younger brother works there you know, so I will hear about any incidents Jin. If I'm going to risk my job covering for you, I expect you give your training everything you have and more."

"So you're willing to help me then?" Jin asked, "I only need you to cover till she gets back. The term starts tomorrow, once I'm there as a "draftee" even her influence will be unable to remove me without my cooperation."

"Very well young master. You can trust in my discretion, but promise me you won't overstep yourself. Out there, it's real, and from what little Peter has told me Ozpin doesn't take the safety of his students as seriously as many would like. Someone with your aura levels cannot be too careful."

Flinching at the reminder of his weakness, Jin nodded slowly before speaking "I know my limits. Will you prepare my luggage for tomorrow? I can recalibrate Krishna myself."

"But of course young master, I bid you goodnight." said Cecil, taking his leave. Rising slowly, Jin made his way into his private chambers, the rooms noticeably less opulent than the rest of the penthouse. Hanging above a silver workbench was the pride of Jin's life. His personally designed weapon, at first glance a rectangular black sword with a metal sphere set in its hilt. Krishna, built to strike first and not need to strike again, the blade could heat to over 4000 degrees fahrenheit in under a second, cutting through steel as soon as flesh. When one solid blow could eat through most of ones aura, not getting hit becomes a priority, hence Krishna's second form, that of an urumi, or whip sword, allowing for a much more fluid combat style than that afforded by a standard broadsword.

After tinkering with Krishna's reactor, Jin collapsed on his bed, physically exhausted. Though his body was tired, his mind was alight with hope. This was finally it, he could finally get away from _her_.

The next morning Jin arose just before seven, giving himself two hours until the shuttle ferrying new students to Beacon left the air pad. Stifling a yawn, he made his way from his room to the dining room, where Cecil stood waiting, looking as dapper as ever.

"Good morning young master, the usual, I presume?" asked the butler.

"Mph" came the articulate reply as Jin took a seat at the head of the long oak table. Taking his grunt as an affirmative, Cecil busied himself making a call to the kitchen before seating himself to Jin's right hand side. A few minutes of pleasant silence elapsed before a waiter in a yellow uniform walking in with a tray, putting food before the two of them. Cecil's breakfast consisted of no less than seven courses, from a light, cordial-like soup, to pancakes, to caviar. In comparison to his companion's breakfast, Jin's choice of salmon, eggs, and melon seemed rather bland, but was a personal favorite. The large amount of protein combined with amino acids in salmon was the perfect training food, cooked to perfection by acclaimed chefs, it might as well have been made of rubber for all the attention Jin paid it. Scarfing down his food, Jin left the table as Cecil finished his third plate of bacon, leaving the butler to finish his meal. Strapping on his watch, Jin saw that he only had an hour and a half left to get ready. Showering quickly, Jin debated how to make the best impression on his future teammates. Cecil had made it clear in his training that a hunter's team would be their support and family of most of their career, and in spirit of such to make sure he was on a team with the most powerful of his peers. Assuming most prospective hunters would come ready to fight, Jin slipped into his combat clothing, golden body armor that provided less protection than the more medieval armor favored by some hunters, but allowed for increased flexibility. **(think Spec Ops armor)** The whole ensemble was heat proofed to avoid self inflicted damage from Krishna. His personal emblem of a phoenix was proudly displayed on the left breast, and a vaguely feathered motif propagated the entirety of the chest piece. Deciding to forgo the helmet, Jin tucked it under his arm as he walked over to his workbench.

Normally he would carry Krishna on his back, but presumably he would have to sit down on the airship, so he placed the blade in a custom-made case that doubled as a diagnostic computer for the calibration of the weapon. Grabbing a few personal effects, laptop, toothbrush, scroll, Jin made his way out into the sitting room where he saw his luggage laid out by the door. Placing the helmet on top of a suitcase, Jin signaled the attendant waiting at the elevator to bring the case and helmet down, "Take these will you? I'll be down in a minute." Turning around he saw that Cecil had finished eating and was staring at him intently.

Dropping his usual overly formal tone, Cecil spoke first, "So this is it, eh Jin? It's been one hell of a ride."

Jin walked over and hugged his mentor, "I'll miss you Cecil."

"You too kid," said Cecil gruffly, "Now get out of here before I embarrass myself." Riding the elevator down, Jin steeled himself for the day to come.

Arriving at the airport around a half hour early, Jin wasn't entirely sure what to expect. He had only ever taken private airships in the past, a far cry from the bulky mass transit vehicle before him. _"First times for everything,"_ checking his bag with the attendant, he was told that student's luggage would be taken directly to where they would sleep that night. Nodding his thanks, Jin boarded the ship, surprised to see that he was among the first to arrive. A few older students milled about near the middle of the main passenger area, presumably returning for a subsequent year of training. Looking past them Jin saw the girl he had run into the night before being smothered in the bust of a taller blond girl. _"Miss Rose, did Ozpin say?"_ Breaking his gaze from the two Jin noticed in very back of the ship a girl with a black bow was leaned against the wall, absorbed in a book. Seeing no seats, Jin decided to take of leaf out of the black haired girls book and lean against the railing, closing his eyes for a minute.

Brought back to reality when the ship took off, Jin marveled at the view as beacon academy became visible on the horizon. The trip was relatively uneventful, his thoughts only being interrupted when the same huntress that had brought him in the night before appeared on the monitors to welcome them all to Beacon. As the ship touched down on the cliff top, Jin picked up Krishna's case and joined the throng of students making their way towards orientation. Taking this time to enjoy the view, Jin was distracted from the serenity of the aerial view of Vale when the red cloaked girl _exploded._ Looking towards the resulting crater, Jin noticed a familiar shock of white hair alongside the now thoroughly embarrassed scythe wielder. _"Please don't let that be who I think it is."_ Approaching the arguing pair form behind, Jin's hopes were dashed when he recognized the demanding tone of Weiss Schnee. Jin had met Weiss several times at various high society functions, their parents being part of the same social groups, and she taken an instant dislike to each him. Deciding to rescue the little reaper, sidled up beside the still lecturing heiress.

"Miss Schnee, a pleasure as always," he said blandly.

Glancing in his direction, recognition flashed through Weiss' eyes "Aren't you a little young to be here Huang?"

Before he could explain his situation, they were interrupted by the black haired girl he had spotted earlier. "What have we here? Weiss Schnee, heiress to the SDC, the world largest producer of dust…"

"Finally some recognition!" crowed the preening heiress.

"…the same company famous for their low wages and questionable business partners," continued the girl as though Weiss hadn't spoken. "and Jin Huang, child prodigy and inventor of the fusion reactor that's been gradual replacing dust reactors across Remnant, who refuses to share his invention that could improve lives everywhere, choosing instead to profit exponentially while many still go without basic amenities."

"You flatter me," replied Jin as Weiss continued her outburst at the accusations leveled at her family company. Jin wasn't proud of the girls statements, but couldn't refute their truth. Looking over at the girl, Jin saw that she had already begun to walk away, her nose once again buried in a book. Weiss took her leave still muttering about disrespectful bow-girls, leaving Jin and a very confused scythe wielder still on the ground.

Reaching out a hand to help her up Jin brook the ice "I don't believe we've been properly introduced. Jin Huang."

Taking his hand happily the girl replied "Ruby Rose."

As they began to walk towards the auditorium Jin decided to see if he could find out where she learned the impressive weapon mastery she had displayed the night before. "You were pretty impressive last night. I've never seen such mastery of the scythe in one so young."

"That was nothing much, you haven't even seen the beginning of what Crescent Rose and I can do!" she responded brightly, shifting her weapon into scythe form and impaling it in the ground beside her as she had the night before.

"You realize someone has to fix the concrete whenever you do that, right?" said Jin, cringing a bit.

"Yup!"

"Okay…"said Jin, beginning to feel a little awkward.

"Hey, since you've seen Crescent Rose, how about you show me what you're packing?" asked Ruby, eyes gleaming with excitement.

"…Excuse me?" said Jin his face quickly turning red.

"Your weapon! Lemme see it!" she said, grabbing at Krishna's case.

 _"_ _Why on Remnant would she phrase it like that?"_ thought Jin as he batted her hands away and set the case down on the bench near a giant gold statue. Entering the eight digit code required to open the case Jin was rewarded with a pneumatic hiss as the top slid open to reveal his weapon. Grasping the handle he turned to face the excitable huntress, "This is Krishna, the ultimate destructive force!" announced Jin, more than a hint of pride in his voice.

"Ooh cool! So what's it do?" inquired Ruby, admiring the weapon.

Smirking a bit, Jin replied "The blade can separate into seven pieces connected by a cable, all iridium of course to account for the third feature. As you heard before I had some involvement with the fusion reactor project, and you see this?" he said, tapping the spherical build at the base of the blade.

"Mhm" said Ruby, studying the hilt.

"This is the worlds first application of that technology in a hunter's weapon. Think of it as a miniature sun heating the edge to around 4000 degrees at the press of a button." Activating the reactor, Jin laughed as Ruby quickly pulled back her hand which had been about to touch the blade.

"You're so mean!" pouted the girl, her arms crossed.

"Only I touch Krishna!" replied Jin a savage glint in his eyes "His hilt shall not be sullied by the touch of the impure!" With a flourish Jin activated Krishna's second form and spun the whip of fire about his head. Realizing his mistake halfway through the swing, Jin whirled around only to see that statues head fall to the ground with a dull thump, the metal around the cut still molten hot. According to the plaque he had just behead Arcturus Arc. _"Jeez, with a name like that, I put him out of his misery"_ Looking over at Ruby, whose face hadn't changed in the slightest, Jin sweat dropped, remembering her stand on vandalism. Figuring he was in the clear if he left now, Jin quickly put Krishna back into the case, using his semblance to disperse the heat so as to not damage the case's electronics.

"Hey, how come you get to break statues, but when I scratch the ground it's not okay?" asked Ruby, seemingly under the impression that his beheading of the statue was for theatrical effect.

Deciding not to respond to that, Jin began to walk toward the auditorium, "Come on we're gonna be late," he said lamely, hoping Beacon didn't have security camera's. He couldn't really claim that it was some _other_ student wearing all gold with a flaming whip sword.

When the pair arrived at the theater most of the new students had already filed into loose rows and were talking amongst themselves. To his right Jin saw the blond who had been chatting with Ruby on the airship, presumably a friend of hers. Leaning down, Jin pointed in the direction of the waving figure, addressing his companion. "Someone you know?"

Glancing up from the twin broadswords she had been ogling, Ruby ran off towards the figure. "I've gotta go! See you later!"

Nodding in acknowledgment, Jin found a spot near the front of the crowd just as he heard Professor Ozpin clear his throat to speak. Jin's eyebrows rose further and further as the headmaster spoke. He was unsure as to what exactly Ozpin's meaning was. _"All I see is wasted energy?"_ pondered Jin, unable to come up with any coherent message in the speech. He was jolted back to reality when the crowd around him began to disperse, presumably to explore the campus. Deciding to retrieve his luggage, Jin wandered vaguely in the direction of the residential area. After a few minutes of walking through the identical hallways, Jin realized he was completely lost. With a sigh, he leaned against the wall and tried to remember how he had gotten there.

"Excuse me young man, my I ask why you seem so distraught?" came a familiar voice.

Turning towards the source of the voice, Jin's eyes widened in surprise, "Cecil? What are you doing here?"

"Cecil? No, I'm afraid you're mistaken young man, I am professor Port, huntsman extrordinaire!" the mustached man finished with a haughty pose, "I am shocked that you didn't recognize me!"

Realizing who this was, Jin made to appease the offended man, "Peter then, is it?" said Jin, extending his hand to the man "Your brother sends his regards."

"Oho! Then I assume you're the little Huang boy Cecil took under his wing, Jan was it?" said the professor, taking the offered hand. The earlier offense apparently forgotten, Peter studied Jin's face as they shook hands.

Trying to avoid letting on that his hand was being crushed, the heir replied, "Jin, Sir. It's an honor to make you acquaintance."

"Likewise!" beamed the professor, "You must be one of the exceptions that Ozpin mentioned to me, though if my brother wasn't exaggerating, you shouldn't have any difficulty keeping up with your peers."

"I hope to live up to his words Sir," replied Jin with a smile "Is there a chance you could point me in the direction of the lockers? I'm afraid I managed to get quite turned around before your arrival."

"Cecil did mention you were directionally challenged!" laughed the professor, a bit louder than Jin would have preferred, "Certainly, I've got to head in that direction myself." Beginning to walk off, Jin quickly followed his guide. Walking in relative silence, Jin marveled at the resemblance between his mentor and the man striding before him, for all intents and purposes they were identical, down to the curly mustache.

"Here we are young man!" said the professor "Now, your luggage should be next to your assigned locker, I'll be going-HRAGH! Breaking off his sentence, Peter lunged straight at Jin with a wickedly fast cross. Only Cecil trying the same thing on a daily basis allowed Jin to dodge to the side. Despite the attack missing, Jin felt the air beside his ear rush past as it struggled to catch up with the professors punch. The chatter in the room stopped instantly as students stared at Port, who had essentially just assaulted a first year. Straightening his collar like nothing had happened, Peter began to walk away. "You'll go far young man. I look forward to seeing you in my class." he said as he left, the pompous air he had put on previously completely gone from his voice.

Assuming "bat shit crazy" was a family trait, Jin shook his head as he made his way to his assigned locker. Parting the whispering crowd, Jin saw locker 517 in the distance. As expected, his suitcase was waiting for him alongside the locker. Jin retrieved his laptop from his suitcase, setting it aside as he quickly changed into his loungewear, a loose white shirt and black sweatpants. Though it was only mid afternoon, Jin decided to get a spot in the main hall early. He had some work to do anyway. Jin put his armor in the locker before grabbing his suitcase and Krishna, making his way back to the hall adjoining the auditorium. Noticing that most of the students were still exploring the campus, Jin decided to set up his sleeping bag in a corner of the hall, mostly due to the convenient power outlet nearby. Despite the fact that he was now a huntsman in training, Jin knew that he still had responsibilities to his fellow researchers. Ever since he awakened his semblance Jin had been an integral member of Huang Industries R&D team, at first understanding very little of the science, but eventually leading the team that would go on to revolutionize Remnant's energy system.

Booting up his laptop, Jin began to scroll through the diagrams sent by his fellow researchers, making a comment here or there, quickly getting lost in the work. As the leading expert in the field of fusion reactors, Jin's input was in high demand by various researchers across the kingdoms, but his mother had denied their requests. Apparently the money being made as the only company with access to the technology was more valuable than the scientific advancement of humanity. Within the company however, researchers were free to experiment, and as such Jin was still inundated with requests for collaboration. Alongside researchers in the employment of Huang Industries, he also worked with the Atlesian military in exchange for a government mandated monopoly in Atlas. About to open a conspicuously large folder labelled project P.E.N.N.Y. , Jin was interrupted by the voice of Ozpin over the PA system.

"All freshman may report to the cafeteria starting at 6 pm. It is recommended that you all eat a good meal, as you will be unable to have breakfast tomorrow until after initiation. Lights out will occur at 11."

Realizing he had skipped lunch, Jin glanced at his watch, which read 5:49. Closing his computer leisurely, Jin decided to make his way to the mess hall for an early dinner. _"Hopefully there won't be a line yet"_ The cafeteria was a relatively short walk from the hall, so Jin arrived a few minutes early, and surprisingly he wasn't alone. An orange haired girl was excitedly bouncing around a rather tired looking boy as he tried to calm her down.

"Yes, I'm sure they have pancakes Nora," said the huntsman in training "Whether or not they'll serve them for dinner is another matter."

"What about Ursa steaks!" cried Nora, still skipping around her companion, "They were so delicious when we made all those rugs!"

"Grimm disappear when you kill them Nora, so your dream about the rugs is literally impossible," sighed the boy.

Deciding he wanted nothing to do with the insanity he had stumbled upon, Jin waited as far away from the pair as he could without seeming rude until the doors were opened by an irate Professor Goodwitch. The buffet was extensive, but nothing Jin hadn't seen before. He waited at the grill station for a steak and rounded the meal off with some broccoli and mashed potatoes. Finishing his meal before most of the freshmen arrived, Jin was already on his way back to the hall when the line to eat got huge. He wasn't anti social, just pragmatic he told himself. After all, it had been an interesting day.

 **So that's a wrap folks, next chapter will begin initiation and reveal more details about Jin's semblance. I don't have a beta, so please forgive any english errors.**

 **I'm still unsure on the pairing, what do you folks want to see?**

 **Peace the fuck out.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Happy Holidays everyone! I'm home in the States for Christmas, I hope all your holidays are going well. I'm traveling next week, so expect an update, but I can't guarantee it will be Thursday cause I have no idea if I will have wifi then, if not, I will try to post earlier.**

 **Also, does anyone else always type "form" when they want to type "from"? It can't just be me, I refuse to believe it.**

 **SPOILERS: Holy shit, that last episode was epic, finally the fight scenes are looking good again, my main criticism of season 4. I hope Qrow isn't done for yet, he's too hot to die.**

 _Finishing his meal before most of the freshmen arrived, Jin was already on his way back to the hall when the line to eat got huge. He wasn't anti social, just pragmatic he told himself. After all, it had been an interesting day._

Jin made it back to the hall, noticing that most of the students had set up their sleeping bags before going to get dinner, creating a mosaic of colors across the floor. Judging by the trend of colors, it appeared that the left side had been taken over by the female students. Jin's gold stuff (he was aware of the irony) was surrounded by fluffy pillows and pink suitcases. With a sigh, Jin resigned himself to the ridicule that was sure to ensue. It was depressing for him to realize that being next to the power outlet was worth more than his dignity.

After a few minutes, students begun to gradually trickle back in from the cafeteria or changing rooms, several evidently having just showered, others apparently planning to shower before initiation. Jin got some dirty looks from girls who apparently thought he was some sort of pervert, only managing to grin sheepishly in response. Jin was finally startled out of his embarrassment by a familiar voice.

"You should have seen it Yang, he cut right through the statue, solid metal, _by accident_!"

"Wow Ruby, so forward, you just met this guy and you're already telling me about his sword?" came the teasing reply of the tall blonde Jin had seen with Ruby on the dustplane.

"It's not like that!" came the flustered response, evidently trying to change the subject, the shorter girl continued, "Hey, this is kinda like a big slumber party! I don't think dad would approve of all the boys though…"

"I know _I_ certainly do," said the blonde saucily, eying the shirtless students across the hall.

"I'm just worried that I won't fit in here, I left all my friends behind at Signal, and now everyone here is two year older than me, " said Ruby timidly.

"Come on sis, you need to lighten up a bit, have some fun!" said the blonde, "I'm sure you can make friends if you try! Like that Jin you were talking about, which one is he anyway?"

The pair had sat down almost directly in front of him, the taller of the two scanning the crowd of boys across the hall, apparently looking for someone matching his description. Jin decided to make his appearance, it wouldn't do to be mistaken for one of the show offs on the other side of the room.

"That would be me. Hello again," said Jin, standing up from his relaxed position against the wall.

Turning with a start, Ruby leaped to her feet at the sudden voice, but it was her sister that spoke first, although not to him "You didn't tell me this guy was a perv Ruby."

"Hey, I'll have you know that my stuff was here before any of your gender segregation started!" said Jin hotly.

"Yeah, I'm sure goldilocks," said the blonde, glancing over Jin's monochrome gear, "I guess I can let it slide this time, you did help my sister after all."

Jin realized that he wasn't going to win this argument, so he turned to the younger of the sisters, "So, are you going to introduce me Ruby?"

"Sure!" she said, "Jin, This is my big sister Yang."

"Jin Huang, a pleasure," said Jin, extending his hand, only to be met with a good natured punch on the shoulder.

"See Rubes, plenty of people don't care that you're two years younger!" exclaimed Yang with a grin.

Staring blankly at the sisters, Jin responded blankly, "You know I was accepted early as well, right?"

"Really?" said Ruby excitedly, "Which combat school did you go to?"

"I had an apprenticeship with a retired huntsman." replied Jin

"Cool! My uncle Qrow taught me the basics, but me and Yang both went to Signal," said the scythe mistress.

"Hey," said Yang, a pensive look on her face, "Are you-"

Turning to her a little embarrassed, Jin saved her the trouble of wondering, "Yes, it's that Huang."

Her eyes widening, Yang was taken aback. "What's the big deal Yang?" asked Ruby, looking a little confused.

Instead of answering her, Yang flipped her scroll over to expose the logo on the back, a character embossed on a circle. (黃)

"So?" asked Ruby, still in the dark.

Shaking off her surprise, Yang apologized, "Sorry, I always forget that Dad didn't make you learn this stuff, it's his name. His family's company makes scrolls." turning slyly to Jin she continued "Say, you couldn't get me a free model, could you?"

Having watched the exchange with mild amusement, Jin tilted his head "I'm open to persuasion," he replied.

"Oh, so the little boy thinks he can play with the adults," replied Yang, grinning lecherously, "I think you'll find that I can be quite, _persuasive_ ," she finished, pushing out her bust.

"Hey, cut it out!" said Ruby, blushing as red as her tank top. "You're going to scare away my friend!"

Not having meant it that way, Jin was blushing nearly as badly as Ruby. Deciding to take his leave, Jin bid the pair good night and browsed the internet for a while as the two sister went to talk to the girl who had called out Jin and Weiss earlier. He would have to be careful, it was possible, nay, probable that he would be targeted by others with similar views to the girl with the bow's. " _With any luck my team won't have anyone like that. It's not like I can change the companies practices"_

 _—_ _-_

The next morning Jin awoke a few hours after dawn, far too early for his tastes, but such sacrifices have to made. Careful not to wake up those around him, Jin grabbed Krishna and joined the slow trickle of early risers heading to the locker rooms. Retracing this steps from the night before, Jin found the locker rooms fairly easily, but ran into a problem once he arrived. " _Where is anyone supposed to change?"_ Looking around the room, there was no-where to get a slight modicum of privacy, finally, Jin spotted the doors to the showers in the back of the room.

After a quick shower, Jin once again donned his armor, this time pulling the full face helmet over his head. After a few seconds the helmet's computer displayed his current health statistics and aura level before his eyes. **(looks like the Archillect [28727] but in gold)** Jin was willing to accept looking a bit ridiculous in exchange for functionality, he realized that his outfit would stand out even among the other hunters in training. He quickly removed Krishna from its case, locking the blade onto his back.

Behind him, Jin heard a voice "Trust a Huang to wear something so melodramatic," said Weiss.

Deciding to play it up a bit, Jin turned around fully before responding, "I have no idea what you are talking about," he said, his tone lowered to a growl by the helmet's voice modifier.

"Ugh! You are such a child!" sniffed the heiress, "How did you even get in here, aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon?"

"You know you love me," replied Jin, removing the voice changer, "As to my age, I was admitted early by headmaster Ozpin, as was another student, Ruby Rose."

"The girl who blew up? Trust children to be so irresponsible," continued Weiss, "Do you really think you have what it takes to keep up with the students here?"

"Umm, yes?" replied Jin, slightly confused.

"Do you know who this is?" asked Weiss, gesturing to her side. Finally taking notice of the girl standing beside the heiress, Jin immediately recognized the red hair and spear of Pyrrha Nikos.

"Of course," said Jin evenly, "How are you Miss Nikos? I believe we met a year ago at that charity event in Mistral."

Seeming a little weirded out speaking to someone whose face was entirely covered, Pyrrha managed a weak "Hello again."

"So you think you can keep up with a four time champion?" questioned Weiss, a victorious glint in her eyes.

"Though I certainly hope to spar Miss Nikos in the future, I am confident in my abilities. Are you, Miss Schnee?" replied Jin, almost too stiffly. It brought far greater pleasure to beat her at her own game than stoop to base insults.

"You are infuriating!" shouted the heiress, flinging her hands in the air as she turned to walk away, leaving Jin and a thoroughly confused Pyrrha alone.

"What's up with her?" asked Jin, his voice once again modified by his helmet as he pointed to the retreating heiress.

Stifling a laugh, Pyrrha shook her head as she too walked towards the exit. Deciding to follow them, Jin began to head in that direction himself. He passed the odd couple he had seen at the cafeteria the night before, catching only a bit of their conversation. " _Those poor, poor sloths"_ As he was about to leave, Jin was greeted by the sight of Ruby and Yang chatting as they made their way towards the cliffs as well.

"Salutations comrades," begun Jin, his voice still modified.

Realization dawning upon both their faces, Jin's self esteem were instantly shattered by Yang, "Oh my god, you look like such a dork!" she crowed, "At least you live up to your name, Goldilocks."

Crying on the inside, " _Cecil thinks it looks cool",_ Jin replied in his normal voice, "Well, at least it has a function, unlike some people I know. Unless you're trying to distract the grimm?"

"See something you like Goldilocks?" replied the brawler.

"Did we pass a mirror?" countered Jin, whipping around as though looking for the piece of glass.

Ruby, who had been silent thus far, interrupted the banter, as she inspected Jin's armor "Where do you keep your scroll? It doesn't seem like you have pockets in this thing."

Tapping the side of his head, Jin answered "Built into the helmet."

"So there's a point to that fashion disaster," teased Yang.

"Wow, that must have cost a fortune!" said the younger sister.

Shrugging sheepishly, Jin quickly changed the topic, "So, do you girls have any idea what initiation involves?"

"Nope!" said Yang, stretching her arms as they walked, "Dad said something about Ozpin throwing us off a cliff, but I'm pretty sure he was joking."

"Honestly, I wouldn't put it past him," replied Jin "I can never tell what's going on inside that man's head, and I'm not sure if I want to, all the caffeine he drinks."

After a few minutes of walking, the three hunters in training reached the cliffs of Beacon, overlooking the majestic, yet grimm infested, Emerald Forest. Soon after their arrival, Jin noticed a line of spring loaded launch pads against the edge. " _Oh my god, he's actually throwing us off a cliff."_ Jin took his place on the leftmost launch pad, taking note of a tree that towered above the rest, the beginning of a plan forming in his mind. Ruby and Yang took their places next to him, looking far too excited for people about to be thrown from a cliff. In a few minutes Ozpin and Miss Goodwitch arrived to explain initiation.

"Today you will be given teams, a group who will become like family to you, live with you, fight with you, _die_ with you," began the gray haired professor,"It is in your best interest to partner up with someone whom you work well with, that being said, the first person you make eye contact with upon landing will be your partner for the next four years." This revelation brought groans from a majority of the students, and a frightened squeak from the little reaper beside him.

Continuing as though he hadn't been interrupted, the headmaster finished his explanation,"Work with your partner and fellow students to retrieve a relic from the temple at the center of the forest. Best of luck!"

And with that the pad beneath him launched Jin up and over the edge of the cliff. Having been mentally preparing himself for the plunge, Jin removed Krishna from his back mid-flight, positioning the hilt so that the exhaust port for the reactor was facing behind him. Gritting his teeth, Jin activated the valve just as his forward momentum begun to slow. A wave of fire promptly burst form his blade, propelling him towards the huge tree he had seen from the cliff-top. Closing the valve, Jin realized that he was coming in way too fast, but he was committed at this point, so he went with his original plan. Flicking Krishna into its whip form, Jin swung the impromptu grappling hook around a sturdy branch, holding on as hard as he could to the hilt.

With a grunt, Krishna snapped taunt, Jin only barely managing to hold on as he swung from the branch, landing on a lower bough. Flexing his shoulder, Jin thanked his aura, as without it his arm would surely have been pulled from its socket. That said, his aura had taken a decent hit from the landing, his visor reading only 65 percent capacity remaining. Seeing his fellow students landing off to his right, Jin retracted Krishna and hopped from branch to branch until he reached the forest floor before running off towards the sounds of combat in the distance. " _With any luck Ruby or Yang landed nearby. Or anybody not the heiress to a dust company."_

A few hundred meters away Jin heard the sharp crack of a sniper rifle cutting through the howls of beowolves. Recognizing the sound, Jin sped off in the direction of the shots, locking Krishna into its sword form and triggering the reactor to heat the edge. Arriving in a clearing, Jin saw Ruby completely surrounded by dozens of beowolves. "Need some help?" quipped Jin as he leapt from the branches of a nearby tree, landing besides the red reaper.

Meeting his eyes, Ruby responded looking slightly nervous "Jin! I think there's an alpha around here somewhere!"

Scanning the crowd, Jin saw the distinctive formation of ranks indicating the prescience of the greater form of wolf grimm. "Got it. I'll take this half!" shouted Jin as he leapt into action, bisecting the first grimm before it even had a chance to react, but the moment he took to recover for the slash allowed its comrades to surround him, forcing Jin to drop to a stance as one leapt from the brush behind him. With a growl, Jin slashed at the grimm as it sailed over his head, simultaneously delivering a backfist to another beowolf that tried a similar tactic from the front, impaling it along his blade before the initial attacker hit the ground. In the background, Jin was vaguely aware of his partner dashing between grimm, dispatching them with her scythe, but before he could register how she was moving so fast another group of grimm leapt at him. Allowing Krishna to extend, Jin sent the sharp edges through the offending beowolves with a flick of his wrist, the edge melting through their masks like putty. Taking the attack to his opponents, Jin leap over the first row of grimm before whipping his weapon around him, cutting clean through the beowolves on all sides, Krishna becoming a tornado of molten metal. Slightly off balance, Jin was blindsided by a beowolf that had wisely hung back from the group, its claws bouncing off his aura. Capitalizing on his opponents disoriented state, Jin kicked the grimm backwards and bisected it with Krishna, once again in its sword form.

Glancing around him as he deactivated the heat of his blade, Jin saw that Ruby had finished off her last grimm as well. As he walked over to congratulate her, Jin saw a look of warning appear in her eyes.

"Behind you!" yelled Ruby, aiming Crescent Rose.

Acting on instinct, Jin once again opened the exhaust valve on his weapon, this time using the momentum provided to propel himself in a circle as he spun on his back foot, in the blink of an eye Krishna blocked the claws of an alpha beowolf, its bone covered body visibly straining against the huntsman in training. Jin braced his free hand against the blade, his gauntlets withstanding the heat as he once again activated the reactor. The elder grimm's claws began to melt as Krishna warmed up, eventually giving way, allowing Jin to amputate the left arm of the alpha, sending it stumbling back before a sniper shot rang out, shattering its mask.

His heart pounding, Jin turned to his partner, "Thanks."

"No problem!" smiled Ruby, "Hey, I thought you could blow stuff up like you did to Torchwick, what gives?"

"Ah, well that's my semblance, but the conditions surrounding it make it near useless against non-human opponents," answered Jin, returning Krishna to his back, "On a more pressing front, why are you covered in rose petals?"

Shaking the petals off of her clothes sheepishly, Ruby responded in kind, "That's _my_ semblance, super speed!"

His question not really answered, Jin decided that he didn't really need to know what flowers had to do with speed, so he began to walk towards the center of the forest, "Let's get moving, we don't want to slow everyone down."

The pair ran into little opposition as they moved, easily dispatching the solitary beowolf here or there, making good time. Arriving at a clearing, a large white ruin could be seen in the distance.

"Looks like we're the first ones here," said Jin, glancing around the ruin, "I guess those must be the the 'relics' Ozpin was talking about." A set of pedestals was spread out across the pavilion, each bearing a single chess piece. Doing some quick math, Jin counted only six pieces, meaning that only three teams would pass initiation out of the dozens of students on the cliff. "Lucky we got here early, it seems like only six pairs can pass. Which piece do you want?"

Instead of a response, the small girl only furrowed her eyebrows in worry, glancing out at the forest surrounding them. Realizing the effect his words could have, Jin made to reassure his partner, "I'm sure Yang'll make it in time."

"Yeah…" returned Ruby, still scanning the trees.

"Let's just go with the white knight piece then, okay?" said Jin, still trying to take her mind off of her sister. "Maybe we can find her." With the press of a button, Jin's vision darkened severely, leaving everything except himself and his partner a dull gray. As he looked into the trees, two shapes could be seen in the distance, one glowing bright yellow, the other almost like a blacklight.

Smiling, Jin turned to Ruby, "I can see them," he said, returning to normal vision, "About a hundred meters out, Yang and that girl with the bow."

"Blake?" replied Ruby, visibly cheering.

"The one that was reading that orange book last night, I don't know her name," said Jin. " _Where have I seen that cover before?"_

"That's her!" said Ruby, smiling brightly, "She said it was about a man with two souls, each struggling for control."

Remembering where he had seen the book before, a deep blush appeared on Jin's face. He never had gone through Cecil's stuff again after that eye-opening experience. "Um, well, I guess you could say it's about a struggle. Yeah, a struggle," he replied, getting a slight nosebleed.

By that point, the partners in the forest had reached the clearing, "Hey little sis!" called Yang, waving, "Glad to see you made it through okay!" The Yang and Blake reached the temple, and instantly chose, "a cute little pony" in Yang's words as their relic, but before Jin could ask how much resistance they encountered, a roar was heard for the other side of the clearing.

A full grown ursa came charging into the clearing, the four hunters in training instantly prepared for a fight, but it collapsed, revealing a bob of orange hair and a maniacal expression.

"Aww, it broke" said Nora, before the same haggled guy Jin always saw her with appeared from behind the ursa.

"Nora," he said, panting, "please don't ever do that again."

"Okay Ren~" she said in a sing-song voice, "Hey look!" at his point she dashed past the still stunned crowd, seizing the black rook, "I'm queen of the castle~ I'm queen of the castle~"

Breaking out of the stunned silence, Jin turned to the sane members of the group, "So shall we head ba-" suddenly a beeping went of in his ear. A dark shape was highlighted in red on the upper left corner of his visor, glancing up, Jin saw the cause of the alarm, "Shit! Everybody find cover!" he yelled, diving to his left as a feather the size of a car impaled itself where he had been standing. The rest of the group managed to dodge, taking cover in the ruins as the nevermore circled back for a second pass.

"I can't take it anymore!" yelled Yang, her eyes flaring red, "Can everybody just calm down before something CRAZY happens again?"

Just as she finished talking, the trees to the right of the clearing shook, revealing Weiss and Pyrrha running. A few moments later, a fully grown deathstalker burst from the forest.

 **I'm going to go ahead and end this here, I already got farther than I had intended, and I don't want this to feel rushed. How was the fight scene? I'm a little unsure about it, but I think it's at least not complete shit.**

 **On the romance front, I got a pm asking for JinxRuby, which had been my first choice for the story, mostly because of the age gap between other characters, but as of now I am still open to suggestions. MOST LIKELY I WILL ASSIGN TEAMS NEXT CHAPTER IF YOU HAVE AN OPINION HOLLA AT YA BOI. Review or PM is fine either way, but this is one of the last chapters where I am still planning the story as a whole, so your input can actually affect where it goes.**

 **Stay classy everybody, a bigger chapter planned for next week, I have a lot of time on the plane to Canada.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the wait, It's a bit of a long story!**

 **The short version: My computer was in a different country from me and Fanfiction wasn't letting me post from my iPad.**

 **The long version: The case with my computer in it got lost among the rush at the airport, a member of my group got one of those "random screening" things, and I misplaced the case in the confusion. Luckily it was found, but I was already in Canada at the time.**

 **Vancouver is quite nice though, I would recommend going if you get the chance, great ice skating.**

 _Just as she finished talking, the trees to the right of the clearing shook, revealing Weiss and Pyrrha running. A few moments later, a fully grown deathstalker burst from the forest._

Jin's eyes widened to unrealistic proportioned upon sighting the massive scorpion-like creature. _"Damn, do we even have anything high enough caliber to scratch that monster?"_ Taking a moment to plot a course of attack, Jin was shocked out of his contemplation by a red blur streaking towards the deathstalker.

"Leave this to me!" yelled Ruby as she used Crescent Rose's knock back to increase her speed even further. Reaching the grimm before anyone in the rest of the group could blink, she struck out with her scythe, but was met with the hard exoskeleton of the elder grimm, her attacks bouncing off. Hissing in rage, the deathstalker attempted to skewer the young huntress with its stinger, missing by a few feet as Ruby used her semblance to dash to the right of the impact.

By that point Weiss and Pyrrha had made it to the ruined temple, grabbing a copy of the castle Nora had selected earlier as their relic. Seeing that his partner was in trouble, Jin turned to the panting heiress, "Weiss! You have raw dust on you, right?"

Nodding as she tried to catch her breath, Weiss took his meaning, retrieving a vial of uncut shock dust from her back pocket and tossing it to him. "Try not to get yourself killed," she bit out between breaths.

"I'll manage," said Jin as he turned to Yang and Blake, "Are you with me?"

"You know it!" replied Yang, taking off in the direction of her sister. Receiving a nod from the dark haired huntress, Jin turned to the four remaining students.

"We'll take care of this, keep the bird off our backs!" he shouted as he followed his comrades into battle, the path before whim dotted with nevermore feathers. As he ran Jin concentrated on his semblance, on the energy held within the vial Weiss had given him. This was much more concentrated than the burn dust used as a propellant in Torchwick's cane, more eager to be unleashed.

"Get clear!" yelled Jin as he reached the group, now locked in combat with the grimm. Hearing the urgency in his voice, Ruby used her semblance to tackle Yang whose eyes were dangerously red as Blake used a clone to retreat to a safe distance. Jin sent the vial flying towards the red eyes of the creature, triggering his semblance a second before the impact. For a moment it appeared as if nothing would happen, but a second later the four hunters-in-training were blinded by an explosion powerful enough to fell trees at the clearing's edge. The deathstalker was completely obscured by the resulting smoke, but its pained roar revealed that it was still very much alive.

"Damn, I thought that would be enough," said Jin, uncovering his eyes. His aura sat at just below fifty percent after his landing and earlier fight against the beowolves, but Jin doubted he could take a clean hit from the behemoth grimm before him. "I've got nothing. What's the game plan?"

"Can you pierce it's armor?" asked Ruby.

"Maybe," replied Jin, "but my aura is too low to take any risks."

"Then we'll make an opening for you!" shouted the little reaper, "Yang, Blake, keep its attention, I'll deal with the stinger, then you take care of the armor Jin!"

"Gotcha!" yelled Yang, sprinting through the smoke towards the injured Grimm, followed closely by her quiet partner.

"I'll wait for an opportunity!" said Jin, flanking the deathstalker as Ruby launched herself back into combat. Yang met the grimm head on, matching gauntlet to claw in a battle of strength while Blake danced around the scuttling legs of the beast, destroying some of the creature's eyes with her submachine gun.

Stopping out of the range of the deathstalker's stinger, Ruby peppered the appendage with sniper fire. Enraged, the scorpion grimm slammed it's right pincer down, pinning Yang in place on the ground and raising its tail to impale her. Seeing her partner in danger, Blake managed to distract the grimm with a clone as she used Gambol Shroud to hook Yang and pull her away just as the stinger impacted the ground where she lay moments before.

"Now, Ruby!" yelled the usually quiet huntress.

Capitalizing on the opportunity, Ruby vanished into a blur of red, appearing beside the glowing stinger and sheering it from the tail with a swing of her scythe. The creature recoiled in shock, giving Jin the perfect opening. Leaping on the grime's back with Krishna set to maximum heat, Jin split the carapace with a massive overhead strike. Even in its surprised state, however, the deathstalker was able to knock Jin from its back using the impotent stump of its stinger. Jin managed to roll with the impact, taking little to no aura damage as he landed a few feet below, but he wasn't prepared for the pincer that seized him as soon as he got to his feet.

"Finish it, the armor above its head is compromised!" Jin gasped out as the creature attempted to crush him, halted momentarily by his quickly dropping aura, "Hurry!"

Not a moment later Ruby appeared above the grimm, Crescent Rose gleaming as she slammed the blade through the deathstalker's figurative "brain". Jin slowly regained the ability to breathe as the glowing eyes of the grimm begun to dim. Finally, the claw went limp, dropping him unceremoniously to the dirt.

Gasping, Jin struggled to pull himself to his feet. Glancing at his aura meter, Jin saw a tiny sliver of red aura with 4 percent underneath it. _"Too close"._ Jin saw Ruby helping her sister up on the other side of the carcass, both of them looking a little worse for wear.

"Hey," said a voice over his shoulder, "are you okay?"

Jin turned to see Blake standing over his shoulder. Taking the offered hand, Jin allowed her to pull him to his feet, standing, a little shakily at first, before following Blake towards the two sisters. "I'll be fine. Ruby killed it just in time, my aura's at four percent."

Looking a little surprised, she turned to reply, "You must have been in the red before the fight, it only had you for a few seconds."

"…You could say that," responded Jin sheepishly.

By this point the two had reached their fellow combatants and further inquiry into his injury was delayed by Yang putting her partner into a headlock. "I really owe you one, I thought I was gonna to be intimately aquatinted with the ground back there!"

"Your welcome, now can you let me go?" deadpanned Blake from the awkward position.

" _Did her bow just twitch?"_ thought Jin to himself. Disregarding it as a trick of the light, Jin turned to the red figure bouncing excitedly beside Yang. Before he could open his mouth to voice his thanks he was interrupted.

"Nice job Jin!" said Ruby happily, "I don't know how we could have beaten it without Krishna!"

"Yeah Goldilocks, not bad," said Yang, still holding a struggling Blake.

A little embarrassed by the praise, Jin responded while rubbing the back of his head, "It wasn't much really. I would be dead without you girls making an opening for me, or Ruby killing it when she did."

"What was that explosion you caused, if I may ask?" asked Blake, finally breaking the headlock.

"I don't mind telling you all, but we still don't know how teams are organized. If I give away information now it could potentially be used against my team in the vytal tournament. Let's just say it has to do with my semblance and leave it at that," said Jin.

"Fair enough," replied Yang, " I think everyone else must've taken care of the bird by now. I don't see the nevermore _anymore._ " The pun was met with silence, much to the chagrin of the buxom brawler.

"Let's just head back to the cliffs," said Jin to his partner, leaving Blake to console the despondent blond.

After they had put sufficient distance between themselves and the other pair, Ruby turned to Jin, "You'll tell me how your semblance works, right?" she asked almost pouting.

Seeing the adorable look on her face, Jin laughed before responding. "Of course, If you don't mind, I'll explain it to the everyone on our team at once. It would probably be good for us to each share our strengths, weaknesses, semblances, etcetera."

Looking a little upset at the wait, Ruby acknowledged the logic in his statement. "Okay, but you better let me check out Krishna later."

"Fine, fine, but I'm taking Crescent Rose as collateral," said Jin, knowing the reaction his statement would elicit.

"Not my baby!" shouted Ruby, leaping away from him before turning to her weapon, "I won't let him kidnap you," she whispered, only half joking.

A few hours later the students who passed the initiation gathered in the auditorium, Jin standing alongside his partner amongst the crowd. Apparently there had been multiple temples spread throughout the forest, as far more relics had been retrieved than Jin had predicted. Ozpin slowly went through each team, giving each set of four students a color-themed acronym. Finally, Jin recognized a name.

"Led by Cardin Winchester!" announced the headmaster.

 _"_ _I wonder if he's related to Augustus Winchester,"_ thought Jin, the name was rare enough to think that Cardin might be related to the prominent anti-faunus member of the valean council.

"Next, Pyrrha Nikos, Weiss Schnee, Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren, together, they form team PWNR, pronounced powder, led by Pyrrha Nikos."

The clapping that followed was less enthusiastic than previous examples, _"Powder? Is that even a color?"_ thought Jin. **(Whoever comes up with those names must have been off of their game. I mean what gives?)**

"And finally, Ruby Rose, Huang Jin, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao-Long will form team RHBY, pronounced ruby, led by Ruby Rose. That is all, you may make your way to your assigned dorm rooms, class starts tomorrow." finished Ozpin, sipping his coffee as he walked off the stage.

"Led by who?" muttered Ruby, somewhat in shock.

"Congratulations!" said Jin, seeing that his partner need some reassurance, "I'm sure you'll be a great leader."

A light blush appearing on her face, she turned to face him, "Really? You thin-EEP" before she could finish she had wrapped in a hug from behind.

"I'm so proud of my baby sister!" exclaimed Yang, shaking the struggling team leader vigorously.

"So, four years, huh?" said Blake, padding up slowly behind Yang.

"It looks like it," replied Jin, gesturing to the sisters, "Do you think we should help her?"

By that point Ruby's face matched her outfit, though whether this was due to embarrassment or lack of oxygen was up for debate. "Nope," said Blake, "if we just leave Yang will let her go eventually. I've learned to just wait for Yang to get bored when it comes to this kind of thing."

Turning quickly, she moved through the crowd of students trying to find their teammates, heading towards the dorms. Deciding to test her theory, Jin followed the moody girl through the crowd. Before they were halfway across the hall the two were joined by the other half of team RHBY.

A less red Ruby quickly took the lead, apparently taking her position as leader seriously. "All right team RHBY! Today's mission: Find Our Dorm Room is a go!" she shouted before disappearing, replaced by a shower of rose petals.

HBY caught up to their excitable leader at the door to their assigned room, soon noticing that their luggage had arrived before them. As the group began to unpack, it quickly became apparent that there wasn't enough room in the dorm to fit all their possessions.

"How about we make BUNK BEDS!" suggested Ruby, waving her hands erratically in excitement.

Considering it for a moment, Jin slowly assented, "Sure, I think I can throw something together."

"Why not, I always liked bunks," replied Yang.

At that, RHY turned to face the only member yet to agree, who only nodded in response. "So, what do we have to work with?" asked Jin, making a mental plan. In a few minutes the group had scraped together various odds and ends that could be use to build the beds. Jin pulled out his scroll and opened up an engineering program scripted by a scientist he had worked with in the past. After a minute of intense concentration, Jin called the rest of the group over to see the diagrams he had drawn for the beds. "By my calculation this should be totally stable," he said before instantly face palming, "…what is that supposed to be?"

In the minute he had taken to draw the blueprints, the rest of the team had "finished" the project. One bed sat precariously balanced atop another, separated by uneven stacks of books, while the other was suspended by sheets that had apparently been nailed to the ceiling.

"Umm, bunk beds, duh," said Ruby, looking surprised at the question.

"Pretty good, huh?" asked Yang, "I'm pretty proud of my self for coming up with the sheet idea."

Seeing the expectant look in his partner's eyes, Jin sighed before setting his scroll down on the bottom bunk on the left. "Fine, but Ruby has to be on top."

"Forward, I didn't think you had it in you Goldilocks," quipped Yang, causing Jin to turn to her with a deadpan.

"Because she probably weighs the least and therefore has the smallest chance of bringing the bunk down on me while I sleep," he replied.

"Hey!" interjected his partner, the blush that had adorned her face turning to righteous anger, "Are you calling me short?"

"No, I'm calling your sister top-heavy," he returned, "Anyway, what are we going to do now, it's only nine thirty."

"Why don't we talk a bit about ourselves and explain our abilities!" suggested Ruby, looking to Blake and Yang for agreement, knowing Jin would approve as it was technically his idea.

"That's probably smart," said Blake from behind a book, "We need to prepare to work together in the future, understanding our team member's style's will be essential."

"Who am I to argue?" asked Yang rhetorically, taking a seat between the bunks.

"In that case, it's only appropriate that our illustrious leader introduces herself first," said Jin, taking a seat on the edge of his bed. Forming a rough circle, HYB looked expectantly at their leader, who seemed to be deciding where to start.

"Okay, so, as you know my name is Ruby Rose, I grew up on the Isle of Patch, which is off the coast of Vale. My mother, Summer Rose, was declared killed in action when I was really little, I don't remember much of her, but she inspires me to be the best person I can be. Me and Yang both started training pretty early, dad mostly trained Yang while our uncle Qrow took me under his wing. I was _really_ terrible until he finally had me try out a scythe, which just felt perfect in my hands. When I was thirteen I was accepted into Signal academy, where I forged my baby," at this point Ruby broke her monologue to stroke Crescent Rose before continuing, "I, didn't have many friends there, but I always had Yang! So I was really worried when she was leaving to go to Beacon, but last night Jin and I got caught up in a dust robbery and were offered spots by Professor Ozpin!"

"You're young as well Jin?" asked Blake, momentarily breaking Ruby's flow.

"Yeah, but we can get to me later, do you mind telling us a little about how you fight Ruby?" said Jin, directing the conversation back to the subject of his partner.

"Sure! I fight with a dual action Scythe/Sniper Rifle, using the kick from the gun to accelerate to high speeds. My semblance is called "Fleetingly I Scatter", allowing for extreme speed and the changing of direction at high velocity, even if my momentum would normally prevent it. Hey! Stop laughing, you know I was eight and armed with a thesaurus when I named it Yang! Anyway, my weaknesses are opponents that completely outclass me in durability, because they can just take my hits and hit back harder. I like to stay close to the enemy, despite that being atypical of a sniper, just because I can usually overwhelm my opponents with speed and catch them off guard, I am however, effective at all ranges," she finished with a pout in Yang's direction.

"I guess I'll go next," said Blake, "My name is Blake Belladonna, I was raised outside the kingdoms, my parents and I were fairly well off, so we didn't have much trouble surviving in the small towns. Neither of my parents are hunters, but they always supported me and got the best trainers they could, which was pretty easy for them, in part due to my fathers involvement in a local, umm, defense organization," she finished quickly before continuing.

"I have a tri-functioning weapon, it can be a sword, a submachine gun, or a kusarigama, and plenty of stages in-between the three. I have extensive training in stealth, so I prefer to get the jump on my opponents. I can't take a hit very well, so I prefer to dodge, which is made easier by my semblance of "Shadow Clones", which allows me to dodge and replace myself with a shadow replica. They don't last long enough to be used offensively, so I mostly use my semblance like a short range teleportation to avoid getting hit. I am effective at short to mid range, but the spread on Gambol Shroud is too big to aim effectively long range," she said evenly.

"My turn!" shouted Yang, who had been eagerly waiting for her partner to finish. "I'm Yang Xiao Long, which means ferocious dragon of death!"

"Cough _sunny-little-dragon_ cough," interrupted Jin.

Glaring at him, Yang pretended she hadn't been called out, "As I was _saying_ , I grew up pretty much just like Ruby did, my last name is different because we're technically only half sisters, but Summer was the only mom I ever knew, and I didn't even know she wasn't my mother until after she went missing. My dad has been teaching me hand to hand combat since I was eight, which was pretty sweet, especially since we got into Signal without tryouts 'cause our dad's the headmaster and all. I was always pretty popular, it's hard not to be when you look _this_ good, and I was never defeated in a spar in all four years at Signal! I'm a front lines tank, I can take a hit and dish it back twice as hard. My weapons are shotgun-gauntlets, which makes me really effective at close range, but next to useless more than fifteen feet away. My semblance is "Damage Reversal" which converts hits I take into power, but I can only use it when I get angry. I may need you all of you to stop me from making stupid decisions while under the influence of my semblance, it's really powerful but I can't control it," she concluded her speech with a deadly-serious voice.

All eyes turning to him, Jin took a breath before starting, "My name is Jin Huang, or "Golden", age fifteen, and I am heir to Huang Industries, a cross-kingdom technology corporation under the private ownership of the Huang family since before the great war. I never met my father, and my mother and I have a…complicated relationship to say the least, so I was basically raised by my attendants. The closest thing I have to a real parent would have to be my mentor, Cecil Port, who trained me to be a huntsman. I discovered my semblance very young, and when my mother found out the implications of it, she had me tutored by experts in chemistry, physics and engineering. We found some success in the creation of the fusion reactor, but dedicating so much of my childhood exclusively to research really stunted my education in other areas. I can explain oum-theory, but I can't find the city of Vale on a map. The only time I interacted with people my age was at these fancy mixers, but most of them were either snobs or trying to marry into the family, which was really _creepy_ to be honest. To get back on track, I ran into Ruby fighting Torchwick last night, and to make a long story short, arrived here this morning."

At this point Jin took a moment to think about how to explain his semblance, "My semblance is called "Entropy Manipulation", and in layman's terms it allows me to mess with the relative disorder of a system. If something would normally explode, I can make it explode much more efficiently than it would normally." Here Jin took two tiny crystals of dust from his suitcase and walked to the dorm window. "Watch closely, first I'll ignite the crystal with my aura;" Opening the window Jin threw the crystal out whee it exploded into a small shower of sparks. "now, I'll use my semblance;" This time when Jin threw the crystal then whole room was blinded by the subsequent flash of light and explosion. "If I close the window there's no proof it was me." said Jin in response to the surprised faces greeting his "demonstration".

"Continuing, I fight with my greatsword/whip, Krishna. I built a miniature reactor into the hilt so I can heat the blade to extreme temperatures, allowing me to penetrate grimm armor or burn through the aura of enemy hunters. I favor an agile fighting style in order to avoid getting hit, mainly due to my weakness. I have extremely small aura reserves, less than a quarter of the average for hunters, so I really cannot afford to take unneeded damage.

"Figured he'd be small," Yang mock whispered to Blake, who remained stoic.

"Despite this glaring weakness, my semblance and choice of weapon give me enough offense to blow most opponents out of the water, sometimes literally. I am only effective at close range, but I do have one long range attack, but it basically involves saying "fuck everything in that direction" and leaves me pretty drained afterwards, so I won't be able to use it in most situations," finished Jin.

"What is it?" asked Ruby, edging closer as if about to hear a secret.

"I'll show you girls when it arrives, I had to have Cecil send it to me in the mail. I'm not allowed to bring it on planes anymore," replied Jin, cringing as he remembered the story behind that little stipulation. "Why don't we start getting ready to sleep, we do have class tomorrow."

Receiving three simultaneous "Dibs on first shower!" in response, Jin could only sigh as he resigned himself to cold showers for the next four years.

 **Alright, thats a wrap folks, I try to keep my chapters around 3-4K words, otherwise I lose focus and don't stick to the plan. Apologies for grammar and spelling errors, I shouldn't have many, but I still type "form" when I want "from". It's infuriating.**

 **I had a bitch of a time finding a color for PWNR, the only one I could think of was powder blue, if any of you come up with a better name I will use that instead, as I'm really unhappy with the current one.**

 **Hopefully the next chapter will be out next Sunday instead of Thursday, this works out better for me anyway now that university has started again.**


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